Institute of Art Design + Technology Dún Laoghaire
Ireland’s campus for the Creative Industries

Aoife Kerrigan (Ní Chiaragáin) 

BA [Hons] 3D Design Modelmaking + Digital Art

Hey!My name is Aoife and I am a prop and model maker from Dublin. My love for art began at a very young age and I was always encouraged by my family. As a child/teenager I attended many art classes and workshops and was always drawing in my spare time. When I was a child my dad showed me the 'behind the scenes' of some of my favourite films. The fascination of how things were made and done started my ongoing dream to work on films and shows. With sculpting and making being my stronger point, this year, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and do a miniature model. I wanted to learn new skills, work on finer details and brush up my skills in AutoCAD for laser cutting.

Unidentified Neighbours

This project is a miniature model depicting a still from a scene in the film/tv show 'Unidentified Neighbours'. This is the story of a fictional suburb in the 1980's that has been colonised by aliens. The human, Juno Astin, lives in a flat above her now run down family bookshop. Her upstairs neighbour, Mort, is and alien that has moved to Earth during the colonisation of this suburb. Juno and Mort are unlikely neighbours with an ongoing petty feud by simply existing in the same building.
The scene being depicted is where Juno has taken it into her own hands to remove some wires Mort is feeding through the chimney to an abundance of satellites on the roof and to a nearby utility pole. Mort has installed these satellites to remain in contact with other worlds.
As Juno is unplugging wires, Mort is in his own flat pulling the wires she is trying to remove. Unknowingly, Mort is keeping Juno balanced on the ladder by doing so.



The Use of Street Art and it's Role in Activism

The aim of this thesis is to explore and research street art and how it is used in social and political activism, internationally but also in Ireland, and learn whether or not it is effective. Research will be done to see does street art actually help raise awareness about topics in the public sphere. The goal of this thesis is to shine a positive light on street art as a medium and aid the removal of the stigma surrounding it. By doing research through news articles, books about art history and street art, and conducting interviews with Irish street artists, Maser and Novice; the information gathered is intended to show the effects of street art used in activism, the reactions of the general public, and the aura of the art pieces while also taking mechanical reproduction into consideration. Investigation will be done into the differences and similarities between the vandalism and removal of street art based on women’s rights and the Black Lives Matter movement.
This thesis shows that street art is proven to be effective when used for activism purposes. That when there are negative reactions to topics within the pieces, it brings more positive interactions to the pieces. Street art brings communities together and shows that places are lived in and have culture. It brings life to the community.
As a medium of art, street art brings more positivity to the world than negative. It brings people together no matter the circumstance and it fosters meaningful conversations about important topics within our society.